The Apple II computer series was introduced by Apple Computer Inc (now Apple Inc.) in 1977 and enjoyed great popularity through the 1980's. Part of the reason was that the Apple II was the first home computer to feature color graphics and sound. The other reason was that Apple pushed the Apple II series (primarily the Apple IIe) to the schools and many kids wanted to have the same computer at home that they had at school.
With such a large user base, there was plenty of software released for the Apple II series over it's lifetime. There was software for productivity and creativity but there was a major market for games.
While the graphic and sound capabilities of the Apple II did not match up with it's 1980's contempories such as the Atari 800 or Commodore 64, developers still put in a lot of effort to create games which Apple II users purchased in huge quantities.
The Apple II series faded from promenience in the early 1990's and formally discontinued in 1993 in favor of the Macintosh computers which are still going strong today. Many former Apple II users moved on and never looked back.
Yet, as we enter 2012, there is a large demand for playing some of the older Apple II games that people enjoyed in the 1980's (and 1990's too). While there are plenty of Apple II emulators available for Windows and the Macintosh computers, one of the easiest ways to play some of the games is to visit the Virtual Apple II website.
It is here that you can enjoy many of your favorite Apple II (8-bit) and Apple IIGS (16-bit) games from within your browser. All you need to do is into install a plugin. You can choose the standard ActiveGS plugin (which most browsers should support) or the Java-based AppleIIGo plugin. Alternatively, if you do have an emulator on your computer, the 1400+ images available on the website can be downloaded for play on your computer.
The ActiveGS plugin would be the ideal choice for most as it offers for functionality. You can choose the process speed of the older 8-bit Apple II machines (1 MHZ) or the faster Apple IIGS speed (2.5 MHZ) in addition to choosing your display and controller of choice.
Regardless of which method you choose to use, the Virtual Apple II website is not only a great place to revisit your favorite games you played in your younger days but also a chance to play games you may have never played before.
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